Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding believes his biggest regret from Saturday's 34-27 loss to Texas was his decision to pursue a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal before halftime.

With the Rebels trailing 24-3 late in the second quarter, Ole Miss faced fourth-and-goal at the Longhorns 2-yard line. Rather than send kicker Lucas Carneiro onto the field, Golding kept the offense in the game. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw an interception to Rasheem Biles, leaving the Rebels 21 points behind at the break.

Speaking after the game, Golding identified that decision as the one he wished he could reconsider.

“What I was really kicking myself about almost is the decision before the half,” said Golding.

The choice looked different after Ole Miss mounted a second-half comeback, scoring 21 consecutive points to tie the game at 24-24 just over a minute into the fourth quarter. Had Carneiro converted the short attempt before halftime, the Rebels could have been ahead 27-24 if the rest of the game had unfolded identically. However, Golding's decision also showed his desire to find a touchdown when his team trailed by three scores.

The decision that initially attracted attention came later, when Golding opted for a 58-yard field goal with Ole Miss trailing 31-24 and facing fourth-and-10 with slightly more than six minutes remaining.

Golding explained that he considered the possibility of Texas extending its advantage with another field goal. He believed Carneiro could make the long attempt and that converting it would keep Ole Miss within four points.

“You're worried about, OK, if they go down and kick a field goal, then it's a two-possession game, which is what happened, right?” Golding said.

“And then we went incomplete on third trying to get half of it, and it was fourth-and-10. Didn't like our chances on fourth-and-10, and we thought we can make (the field goal). And with a little bit of safety for us, if we did give up a field goal like we did to make it two possessions, it was still a one-score game.”

Article Continues Below

However, the Longhorns blocked Carneiro's kick, giving Texas possession at its own 41-yard line. Golding had also used a timeout before the attempt, leaving the Rebels with two remaining.

The Longhorns subsequently consumed approximately four minutes before adding a field goal to extend their lead to 34-24 with 2:25 remaining.

Chambliss then guided Ole Miss to another field goal, and the Rebels recovered an onside kick to retain a chance of completing the comeback. However, his Hail Mary attempt was intercepted as time expired.

Ole Miss fell to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play. The Rebels will return home next weekend to face Auburn, which enters the matchup with a 4-3 record.